Hunted
by Willowflame522
Summary: When Aspen awakes remembering nothing but her name, she is found by a ThunderClan patrol and joins their Clan. But her dreams are haunted with images of fleeing from angry foxes, and whispers of an unknown past echo in her mind. She sets out to discover her past, but the closer she gets to the truth, the more chilling and tragic the secrets she uncover become.
1. Allegiances & Prologue

**Hi I'm Willowflame and this is my first fanfic! I'm a little nervous and I'm not quite sure how all this works. I appreciate all reviews, positive and negative, but please keep it respectful! Also sometimes in my stories I reuse warrior names, but unless I say it's part of a series it's all different.**

 **Okay, now let's get on with the story! This is** ** _Hunted!_**

Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader

Dewstar - broad-shouldered grey-and-white tom with dark blue eyes.

Deputy

Sunflare - dark ginger she-cat with black paws and green eyes.

APPRENTICE, SNOWPAW

Medicine cat

Rosevine - white she-cat with brown tabby patches and amber eyes.

APPRENTICE, BARKPAW

Warriors

Bluemoon - blue-grey she-cat with a hint of silver and yellow eyes.

Stoneshade - big, pale grey tom with amber eyes.

Mintleaf - pale grey she-cat with blue eyes.

Gullfeather - black tom with grey legs and yellow eyes.

APPRENTICE, MOUSEPAW

Nightblaze - black tom with yellow eyes.

Sandwhisker - sandy, pale ginger she-cat with dark blue eyes.

APPRENTICE, CLOUDPAW

Ebonyfang - black-and-dark-brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes.

Pigeonfeather - pale grey tom with black stripes and a white chest, paws and tail-tip, with dark blue eyes.

Whitewind - fluffy white she-cat with amber eyes.

APPRENTICE, TIGERPAW

Shimmersun - bright yellow she-cat with amber eyes.

Skyfrost - deep grey tabby she-cat with silver eyes.

Mistfall - silvery blue she-cat with yellow eyes.

Brownstripe - brown tabby tom with yellow eyes.

Redash - red tom with blue eyes.

Apprentices

Snowpaw - white she-cat with grey paws and ears, amber eyes.

Barkpaw - dark brown tom with blue eyes.

Mousepaw - small brown she-cat with green eyes.

Cloudpaw - fluffy white tom with blue eyes.

Tigerpaw - dark ginger tabby tom with green eyes.

Queens

Flameclaw - dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes.

Mother of Nightblaze's kits: Gingerkit (dark ginger tom), Duskkit (black-and-ginger tom), Smokekit (smoky black-grey tom) and Firekit (ginger tom).

Elmfall - brown she-cat with grey eyes.

Mother of Redash's kits: Darkkit (dark red she-cat) and Oakkit (brown she-cat)

Elder

Frostclaw - blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes.

 **Now on to the prologue!**

Prologue

 _Through the Rain_

 _Run. Just run._

The forest was alive with the nighttime thunderstorm. The sky above was black, and frigid sheets of rain fell to the ground. The trees swayed with the screeching wind and their spindly branches flailed wildly, leaves torn off and bark ripped apart as the storm whistled through the woods. The ground was slick and slippery with rainwater, and the layer of leaf litter was drenched to the earth. Lightning flashed suddenly, igniting the sky and outlining the trees for a blazing moment before fading away. Thunder growled savagely moments after.

 _Run. Keep running._

Instinct kept her going, her brain and muscles screaming to move, though her heart only reminded her of how the chase had to end. She had been running for so long, running from the shame and grief clawing at her insides. She couldn't outrun it forever. She had to end it. Face what she'd done, and end it.

She longed for the moonlight. She longed for the cold silver glow that always somehow warmed her. She longed for starshine, longed for a peaceful night. Instead her heart pounded in her ears, her mind was hazy with terror, and she was soaked to the bone. Her paws skidded on the wet ground, but she kept going. Her brain thudded words in time with her heart- _Just run. Just run. Just_ _run-_ while her spirit urged her to stop, whip around and end the guilt and pain. End the chase. End the hunt.

There was growling behind her. They were pursuing, and their long legs and deadly claws made them terrifyingly fast. They were ruthless, merciless, ravenous. And they wanted her. She dared a glance over her shoulder and saw, through the shadows, the pack of foxes. Their pelts were mangy and hung from their lean frames. Their ribs jutted through russet fur, hard with muscle and fierce with hunger. She saw their yellow eyes shoot flames through the rain. Her legs kept her moving. Her heart howled and pleaded for them to stop.

 _Run_.

She closed her eyes. The mist of panic was closing around her. Her body went numb with cold. She could feel herself moving. Suddenly her gaze snapped open and she was in a rock-strewn clearing, facing the foxes. They pushed their way through the brambles, their lips curling up to reveal yellow fangs. She had done it. She had finally faced her fate, faced her mistakes. She would never have to live with them now. She would never have to live.

They approached her, their powerful legs rippling. Fear rooted her to the ground. She waited. Ears pricked in curiosity, the leader, a massive red fox, made a face almost like a sneer and lunged for her. She stayed still and she fell. Pain throbbed in her head as she hit a sharp rock and began to drift away. Darkness enclosed her vision.

As her mind became laced with black and she fell into unconsciousness, a beam of moonlight slid between the clouds and landed on her. She was a cat, golden-yellow in fur, touched with ginger. One eye cracked open. It was violet, brilliant, silver-flecked, deep, violet. She fell limp again and the foxes stalked away. Through the darkness and the downpour, they hadn't realized how large their prey was. They left her for dead, left her to open her eyes and start again.

 **Sorry that was really short...I promise the chapters get longer. Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 1: Awake

**Hi, I'm Willowflame, back with the first (actual) chapter of** _ **Hunted!**_ **We get to see the ThunderClan camp, and I made some changes to it...just because. Don't question my logic, heh heh. A big thanks to Willowstorm of SkyClan for being my first reviewer, and first follower! Yay! Reply time!**

 **Willowstorm of SkyClan: Yeah it's in the old forest. Thanks so much, I'm glad you like it!**

 ****I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does****

 **Here we go! Chapter 1 of** _ **Hunted!**_

Chapter 1

 _Awake_

"She's dead, for sure. Look at her!"

"Just wait! She'll wake up!"

"Come on, let's bring her back to camp. Maybe she's from ShadowClan."

"She's doesn't smell like a Clan cat…"

"Perhaps she's a rogue. A dead rogue, that is."

Aspen opened her eyes. Aspen. That was her name. Yes, Aspen, Aspen the cat. She lifted her head, sleep clouding her mind, and saw four well-muscled cats staring down at her—she was on the ground, she supposed. Two of the cats had matching pale grey pelts, though the larger tom had amber eyes and the smaller queen had a dark blue gaze. The third cat was a black tom with dark grey legs and yellow eyes. Next to him stood a much smaller brown she-cat, her green eyes wide with distress.

Aspen's mind whirled at the sight of them. She remembered absolutely nothing. Who were they? Where was she? _When_ was she? Who was she? She knew her name, and one glance at her fur told her it was an odd shade of ginger-golden, maybe more of a gold-yellow. And she had a strange knowledge that her eyes were a unusual violet. But except for those few facts littered in her mind, she didn't remember what had happened to her…ever. Questions flooded her brain. She blinked them away and glanced at the four muscular cats above her. Quietly she rose to her paws and waited for them to speak. Perhaps she had once known them, and it would be rude to ask their names.

"Um, who are you?" the big grey tom asked, his orange eyes narrowed to slits of fire.

"Aspen," she replied cautiously. So she didn't know them. Of course she didn't. She'd remember...right?

The little brown cat answered. "I'm Mousepaw," she explained. "Those grey cats are Mintleaf and her brother, Stoneshade. My mentor here is Gullfeather," she finished with a flick of her tail in the black tom's direction. "We're from ThunderClan."

Confusion clouded Aspen's mind. "Er, ThunderClan?" _What is she talking about? And such strange names too!_

The grey tom known as Stoneshade narrowed his amber eyes. "Are you from ShadowClan?"

"Wait, what? What's ShadowClan?" Panic was beginning to close around Aspen's throat and she struggled to breathe. What were they talking about? Why couldn't she remember anything? Had something bad happened to her? _What will these cats do to me?_ she wondered silently. _Maybe I'm supposed to remember them, and whatever "ShadowClan" and "_ _ThunderClan_ _" are._

Mousepaw, the friendliest of the cats, frowned. "Oh, so you're not a Clan cat?'

"What's a Clan?" Aspen demanded, standing up. Anxiety slashed at her with long, lethal claws, and her chest felt tight with worry.

c

Stoneshade rolled his amber eyes. "Okay, so you're not a Clan cat. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

That was a question the gold-yellow she-cat couldn't answer. "Aspen," she told them simply.

Gullfeather, the black tom, cut in. "Yeah, we know. But _who_ are you? What's your story?"

"Well...I don't remember," she replied truthfully. She had nothing but honesty to give these cats. "I just woke up here, and I know my name, and that's it." Aspen fell back on her old questions. "What's ThunderClan? And ShadowClan?"

"Well, ThunderClan's _our_ Clan," Mousepaw chirped. Aspen must have betrayed her baffled wonder because the young brown she-cat went on, "A Clan is a group of cats. We have a camp, and a territory with borders. We have a leader, a deputy who's second in command, and a medicine cat, who heals. And warriors! That's us!" She puffed out her chest, but it sunk back in after a moment's pause. "Well, I'm an apprentice. I'm in training. Warriors hunt and fight, and teach apprentices how to do that stuff. We're on a patrol right now, where we check our borders. And there are four Clans—ShadowClan, our nasty neighbours, RiverClan, fast fish-eaters, WindClan, those scrawny rabbit-munchers, and of course brave and strong ThunderClan, the best Clan in the forest!"

That made sense...sort of. Aspen nodded slowly. "Okay." Uncertainty choked her throat. She didn't even know her own personality. She was too shocked to try to find out, and the cats' suspicious gazes made her pelt crawl.

"So you don't remember anything at all?" Gullfeather asked.

"No. Just my name."

"Well, maybe you should come back to camp," the smaller pale grey cat, Mintleaf, suggested with a shrug. "Our medicine cat, Rosevine, might want to take a look at you if you can't remember anything."

"And by the way," Stoneshade added coldly, "you were trespassing on our land."

Aspen gulped. The warning in his deep growl sent shivers grasping at her spine. The ThunderClan cats turned away and began to pad into the forest surrounding them. The gold-yellow she-cat scurried after them, nervously awaiting whatever would come next. She took in her surroundings, and found they dulled her alarm. The colours of the sun, brilliant golden hues, bled into the soft greens and browns of the woods around them. The trees stretched their branches to a creamy blue sky spotted with clouds, and on the forest floor the dense undergrowth was dappled by sunlight. Aspen weaved her way through the mossy stumps, tall, shrouding green ferns and maze of thin trunks as the ThunderClan patrol swiftly progressed through the forest ahead of her. She wasn't used to the forest, and she wasn't nearly as fit as the wildcats, but she managed not to lose sight of Gullfeather's black pelt in the trees as she followed helplessly.

Eventually the four cats slowed to a halt and Aspen breathlessly caught up to them. She peered past the muscular shoulders of Gullfeather and Stoneshade to see a steep rocky ravine tumbling into a grassy valley. She could just see lush yellow gorse in walls around a clearing that splashed pale green through the trees. Was this ThunderClan's home? Whatever it was, it would be difficult to climb down. Without a word to her the warrior cats leaped down the boulders and made their way easily to the bottom. Even little Mousepaw only hesitated for a few heartbeats.

Aspen took a deep breath and tried to hop down to the first boulder. As she leaped pain twisted in her body and she realized how sore she was. Her form contorted mid-air and she landed clumsily on the stone, agony searing her legs. Shakily she rose to her paws, desperately wishing there was an easier path. _Whatever. Those cats did it and I'm supposed to be following, so I guess I'll do it too...if I don't die in the process._ The she-cat gritted her teeth and half-tumbled, half-slid the rest of the way down. Every muscle ached as she reached the awaiting patrol. Embarrassment burned her fur as she saw the amusement apparent on even solemn Stoneshade's grey-furred face.

"What are you laughing at?" she mumbled to Mousepaw as the cats led her to the gorse. It formed a prickly yellow tunnel that tore at Aspen's pelt as she followed. She winced in pain as the thorns stuck in her fur and cut her skin, but simply forced her way through the tunnel after Stoneshade, Mintleaf, Gullfeather and Mousepaw.

The sunlight blinded her for an instant, and then she could see the ThunderClan camp. _Whoa._ _The clearing is_ huge _!_ The grass was warm with sun and the space was inviting. In the centre was a huge rock. Aspen's eyes found a small hole at the base, lichen draping over whatever it was...an entrance? The rest of the clearing was bright with bushes. A wide, low yew, a tunnel of ferns, a tightly knit bramble, a honeysuckle. Behind the tall rock was a heap of prey. Mice, voles, squirrels, rabbits. Aspen licked her lips, hunger gnawing at her belly. The scene was too perfect. Cats were lounging in the sun, eating prey, grooming each other, chatting happily. The whole area was welcoming and warm, kits tussling playfully, the big wildcats called "warriors" talking softly, the air sweet with the smell of freshly killed prey and cheerful cats.

She felt eyes sear her pelt as three powerful "warriors" stood up and trotted over. One was a night-black tom with fiercely unimpressed yellow eyes, one was a pale ginger she-cat with sandy fur and dark blue eyes, and the third, the smallest, was a fluffy white tom with a gleam in his blue gaze.

"Gullfeather, what is this?" the big black tom demanded frigidly.

"This is Aspen," the grey-legged warrior answered, a hint of anger resonating in his yellow eyes—they were the same shade as the other cat! Were they related? Aspen narrowed her eyes and saw all the similarities: the chips of sun eyes, the coal-black fur, the cool rage frosting their gazes.

"Aspen?"

"Yes, we found her on the border. She says she remembers nothing. We've taken her back here to be seen to by Rosevine," Gullfeather snapped. "Why do you ask, Nightblaze?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering why my brother has brought a stranger into camp."

Aspen glanced between them, sensing the tension. What had happened to the brothers to make them so rigidly angry? She shrunk down next to Mousepaw, who, probably sensing her confusion, murmured in her ear, "Nightblaze stole Gullfeather's mate. They've hated each other ever since."

"Oh." Aspen gulped and tried to swallow her fear at Nightblaze's wickedly angry eyes. He didn't seem like a very kind cat, while Gullfeather was actually pretty friendly. She was much too shy in this new environment to question Nightblaze's cool unfriendliness, so she'd stay away, at least until _he_ questioned _her._

Mintleaf stepped between the bristling toms. "Hey, Aspen doesn't know anyone's names! Let's be kind to our guest, please."

Nightblaze dipped his head. "Alright." His yellow gaze swivelled to the gold-yellow she-cat and he examined Aspen. She wanted to disappear. She was thin and sore, nowhere near as strong and sleek as the big black warrior. She stayed still as the fierce tom scanned her, declaring, "You look okay. Aspen, right? I'm Nightblaze."

She relaxed. _Okay, he's not_ too _bad._ "Hi."

The sandy she-cat dipped her head in greeting. "I'm Sandwhisker."

 _No wonder. Look at yourself!_ Aspen thought sarcastically, realizing with a shock that before she'd woken up she'd been a witty, wry at who always enjoyed poking fun. She blinked. She didn't really want to be like that anymore, at least until she got to know these cats. She'd stay quiet. "Hey, I'm Aspen," she meowed quietly.

"And I'm Cloudpaw!" the fluffy little tom declared, bouncing forwards and sniffing Aspen. "You smell strange. You don't smell like a ThunderClan cat at all." He tipped his head. "Well it's nice to meet you, Aspen."

The gold-yellow she-cat bit back a purr at Cloudpaw's kit-like enthusiasm. "Oh, hello." A new thought struck her, and she glanced at Mousepaw curiously. "Do all apprentices have _'paw'_ at the end? Like, Mouse _paw_ and Cloud _paw_ _?"_

"You got it!" the brown she-cat replied with a satisfied purr. "That's right, and all kits have _kit,_ warriors can have anything, like _pelt, fang, blaze._ Leaders have _star._ When a kit is six moons old they get their new name, like Mouse _kit_ to Mouse _paw_ _,_ and they get a mentor to train them. When they've trained for long enough, usually six moons, they get an assessment and a new name. Like, I might be Mouse _pelt_ or something like that! Get it?"

"Yeah." The whole Clan thing was beginning to make sense. "And leaders?"

"Well, when a leader dies their deputy becomes leader, travels to the Moonstone—really far away—gets nine lives and the name _star,_ then comes home and appoints a new deputy," Mousepaw explained lightly.

The other warriors, who had been following, nodded approvingly. Gullfeather nudged his apprentice fondly. "Maybe you should be Aspen's guide while she's here," he suggested. Mousepaw's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"I'll help too!" Cloudpaw chirped, his blue eyes shining.

Sandwhisker shook her head to him. "No, Cloudpaw, you've only been an apprentice for three days. You're not ready to help out a visitor."

"Aw." The white tom hung his head, his plumy tail drooping to the ground despondently.

Aspen tipped her head, sympathy for the fluffy tom swelling inside her. "Maybe Cloudpaw could follow us and learn from Mousepaw?" she offered up, not sure if she was speaking out of turn or if she would get in trouble.

Sandwhisker nodded. "Oh, good idea, er, Aspen."

Mousepaw bounced. "Come then, let's go!"

"Okay, so that's the camp!"

Aspen nodded slowly. Mousepaw was a good guide, and the gold-yellow she-cat knew a lot more about the Clan, but exhaustion clung to her limbs and each step brought a wave of pain. Cloudpaw skipped cheerfully alongside them, his blue eyes shining. _Does he_ ever _get sad? Or at least tired?_ she thought drily, twitching her whiskers. She liked Cloudpaw, but it _was_ crazy how much energy he had.

"Any questions?"

Mousepaw's voice brought her back to reality, and she turned to the small brown she-cat. "Oh, uh, no, I'm fine," Aspen replied. "This place is really cool. And that warrior code...that's amazing." Her heart swelled with admiration at the way they lived: feeding the younger, older and weaker first, depending on one another, brave, strong and noble. The only part she didn't get was StarClan. It didn't make sense. How could dead cats watch over them? When a cat died, they...died. Gone. Forever. There was no such things as cats living in the skies and the stars, talking to cats and giving ridiculously vague prophecies. It was insane and she refused to believe it.

"You know," Mousepaw mused, "you could probably join the Clan. Train with Cloudpaw and I, become a warrior!"

Aspen's heart pounded with joy, her thoughts of StarClan evaporating. "Yes! I'd love to!" Imagine that! She remembered nothing, but she could start a new life with the Clans. _Aspen, warrior of ThunderClan._ Sudden panic thudded in her heart as she realized she didn't _want_ a warrior name-Aspenpaw? Aspenpelt? Aspen was all she had left of whoever she had been, and despite starting again, she had to hold on to that tiny sliver of her old life-even if it meant getting in trouble with ThunderClan. She snapped back to the real world and saw her two new friends chattering excitedly about her joining.

Cloudpaw's eyes widened. "That would be awesome!"

"Well, first Rosevine has to check you out," Mousepaw added to Aspen, "but after that we can ask Dewstar, the leader, if you can join."

"Where _is_ Dewstar?" Aspen wondered aloud, glancing around the grassy clearing. She'd met Sunflare, the dark ginger deputy, and Frostclaw, the one elder, along with several warriors, and Snowpaw, Cloudpaw's sister-but she hadn't seen the leader.

Cloudpaw flicked an ear. "Leading a hunting patrol."

"Oh. When will he be back?"

"Soon enough." The fluffy white tom frowned. "I hope it's okay you're here. Sunflare knows, so it's probably alright." A kit-like, feline smile cracked across his muzzle. "I can't wait for you to be a part of ThunderClan!"

Aspen purred her sincere agreement. _It's going to be great! I'm going to become a warrior! Even if I don't remember anything, I can start anew, like each rising dawn, and I know my world will be so much brighter._

 **Yay! Chapter 1 is complete! It was a bit longer (I hope). I might be able to update again today but after that not for a week. I'm really, really sorry. Here: next weekend, I'll do a bunch of updates to make it up to you. Also, in Doc Manager I can't get there to be a space between the chapter and AN. Sorry. Okay, I know everyone does this but I can't resist! Question of the Day!**

 **QOTD: Who's your favourite character so far?**

 **Don't forget to review, and see you next time on** _ **Hunted!**_

 **~ Willowflame**


	3. Important!

**Hi, it's me, Willowflame!**

 **Quick reply to review:**

 **Willowstorm of SkyClan: I like Mousepaw too! You're right, ThunderClan are pretty friendly! Hope you're enjoying the story!**

 **Now for the important part:**

I'm soooooo sorry I haven't updated in a week, I'm super busy. And also I'm even more sorry (or sorrier? Is that a word?) that I won't actually be updating this story on this site. I've been working more on my Wattpad account, and I find it a whole lot easier to use. So if you want to read _Hunted_ and about a billion other stories I plan to post, I suggest you check it out-my name is Willowflame522. See you on Wattpad!

~ Willowflame

PS

Upcoming stories on Wattpad:  
Clans: The Rat King  
Archer (not actually a Warriors fan fiction, a series about wolves)  
Ember

Claws of Blood: The Reign of Jaguarstar

And a bunch of others!


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